I have a poster hanging in my room from a local yoga store, and one of my favorite quotes on it is, "Coke, Pepsi and all other pops will be known as the cigarettes of the future. Colas are NOT a substitute for water. They are just another cheap drug made to look great by advertising." Likewise, (and especially now that I have seen the documentary Super Size Me) I am completely convinced that many of us are very unaware of what we actually put in our mouths on a daily basis. The United States alone sprays 2 billion pounds of pesticides a year on crops. Many foods we eat are so mass produced that we don't know what is on the ingredient list let alone how to pronounce them! The majority of our food is so pasteurized and sanitized that it destroys many of the vitamins, essential fatty acids, and other nutrients in our foods. What all this means is that we end up eating very low-quality foods that are full of calories, but low in actual nutrient value. This ends up tricking our body into thinking that we still need more calories to get the essential components to repair and build new cells and tissues to maintain optimal function in our bodies.
The ideal diet is in fact a "non-diet". It includes all of the following suggestions to keep you eating whole foods that will keep your energy up and your body revving like a well-oiled machine:
1) Eat breakfast. Be sure to kick start your metabolism with a good fiber, protein, and a little healthy fat. A great breakfast includes a hard-boiled egg and a 1/2 cup oatmeal with raisins with a smidge of honey and cinnamon for flavor.
2) Eat a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack: One of the biggest pit-falls is the fact that people choose snacks that actually make their blood sugar go crazy. Choose low glycemic foods.
3) Keep track of what you eat: Writing down your food for the day is always a good check to see what you are actually eating, what triggers over-eating, and may give you some insight into ways that you could shift your eating habits to make improved choices. I love using www.fitday.com to log in my food so I can see exactly where my diet might be suffering.
4) DRINK WATER: This can not be stated enough. A significant fraction of the human body is water. Lean muscle tissue contains about 75% water. Blood contains 95% water, body fat contains 14% water and bone has 22% water. When we don't drink water, the whole body suffers! You should try to drink a minimum of 100-120 ounces of water/day.
5) Eat organic when possible. You will have higher nutrient density foods, less chemicals and additives, in addition to simultaneously helping the environment!
6) Avoid simple sugars, refined salt, pre-packaged foods, caffeine, and trans-fatty acids.
7) DO EAT foods high in Omega 3's, raw fruits and veggies, whole or sprouted grains, and lean meats.
8) Supplement. See more in the next blog! for snack in 100-200 calorie portion sizes.
Above all, take slow steps to change one habit at a time. It is amazing how you body will begin to crave what it really needs!
